Mistletoe
by her-little-musings
Summary: Loki learns about the tradition of mistletoe. Written for the Tasertricks Winter Exchange on tumblr.


"Loki, please," Thor begged, giving Loki a pleading look. "I am not supposed to leave you unattended and I think you'll find this Midgardian custom enjoyable. Jane says there will be feasting, gifts, and merriment!"

"I enjoy none of those, Thor," Loki replied, giving him a pointed look. After the battle in New York, Loki was taken as a warden of SHIELD, and Thor was entitled to look after him. He detested every moment—he hadn't shared a room with Thor since they were children, and living with the God of Thunder proved to be higher maintenance than anyone could imagine.

"I promise not to cause any mischief while you out, if that would ease your mind," he offered, but Thor didn't relent.

"It would not be the same without my brother," Thor said earnestly. "Christmas is a time for family, according to Jane. You are my family, and according to a movie I viewed recently with Darcy, family means that no one gets left behind."

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Only Thor would glean wisdom from a children's movie.

Xxx

Jane's apartment seemed to have an upheaval of Christmas decorations. The usually messy scientist had shoved her papers and equipment into the spare room. Lights adorned the walls (it looked to be put up rather quickly) followed by a small tree in the corner of the living room. A makeshift fireplace from the television was on, along with faint Christmas songs in the background, giving the apartment a cozy feeling

"Oh—Thor! And…Loki. You're here early," Jane said, swinging the door open and quickly disappearing from their line of vision before they could even step inside.

"Darcy! How's the ham cooking?" Jane yelled, throwing a pot haphazardly onto the counter. Thor and Loki stood in the foyer, unsure of what to do as they watched the two girls dash about the apartment.

"It's good!" Darcy called back, cracking open the stove just a bit.

Thor deposited the presents he held under the tree and motioned for Loki to sit down on the couch.

"Jane, do you need any assistance?" Thor asked, side stepping away from Darcy in the kitchen.

"No, no, you just relax. My brother and sister will be here soon—they're just dying to meet you! Oh!" She lowered her voice, "How did you manage to get Loki to come?"

"Forcefully," Thor quipped with a cheeky smile, casting a glance to his brother, who was staring at the fireplace vacantly.

Xxx

"Hey, do you want anything? Crackers? Drink?"

Loki looked up to see Jane's assistant—Darcy was her name, he recalled from the brief interactions he had with her due to working in SHIELD. She wore a knit sweater, and while he found them to usually be unflattering, it was shapeless in a way that it complimented the comfy atmosphere.

He never paid much attention to her; she was the type of person who often faded into the background. While he knew she carried a boisterous personality, she kept a professional attitude at work and could often be seen carrying stacks of paper for Jane.

Her glasses were perched at the end of her nose. This wasn't intentional, he assumed in the bustle of preparations she didn't even notice that it slipped off and a few flecks of flour were still in her hair. Loki realized he was staring, and she was patiently waiting for an answer, looking a bit uneasy.

"Ah, no. I'm fine," he quickly said, and she shrugged and turned on her heel to go back to help.

Thor was in the kitchen with an apron as Jane showed him how to knead cookie dough. While he looked like an utter oaf (stupid grin, flour everywhere, and a bright pink apron) only happiness shone through Thor's eyes.

"Like this?" Thor asked, carefully taking the sprinkles and dabbing it over the tops with awkward gentleness. Jane giggled as she placed herself in front of him and helped even out the sprinkles. Thor placed a kiss on the top of her head, causing Jane to look up and give him a peck on the chin.

The scene made him sick as he looked away, turning his attention to the makeshift fire.

"Hey Jane, I'm changing the channel. I think Loki is bored," Darcy said, grabbing the remote and began to flip through.

"You'll like this," Darcy muttered as the TV switched to a picture of a fuzzy green man. Loki allowed himself to glare at her, but she stopped paying attention to him in favor of resuming to decorate.

Although Loki wouldn't laugh out loud, he had to admit that he enjoyed the Grinch's character.

"Hate hate hate. Double hate. Loathe entirely," the Grinch howled on screen, and Loki's lips quirked upwards.

"I knew you'd like it," Darcy said, taking a seat next to him with a sigh of relief at being off her feet.

"I can relate," Loki admitted.

"Yeah, you definitely have the green going on too," she laughed, reclining a bit more. Loki's nose crinkled slightly at the comparison.

"I most definitely do not resemble _that_," he gestured to the television, and Darcy merely gave him a shrewd smile.

"Darce! I'm sorry, I forgot to give you the last box. It's just a couple of wreaths, can you put them up please?" Jane called, making the final preparations. Thor was retrieving the cookies from the oven, and the scent diffused into the living room, making all of them breathe a hearty sigh.

"Sure thing," Darcy said, already getting up to find the box.

Xxx

Mistletoe. She didn't know if Jane meant to put in the box, or if it was just there from years of storage, but she knew she couldn't pass up an opportunity to get Jane and Thor under it. Actually, she didn't even know if Thor knew about mistletoe, but he was about to find out! Despite their gag-inducing relationship, her heart did melt whenever she saw Thor being a gentle giant or Jane losing her scientific composure for a few minutes.

She decided that the prime spot would be under the threshold between the living room and small hallway by the bathroom. The only problem was that she was about 2 feet short of reaching without a stool or chair.

"I'm taking this chair for one of the wreaths," Darcy said quickly, but Jane swatted her hand away.

"If you need help reaching, just ask Loki. He's tall enough."

"Errr, I'm fine. I wouldn't want to bother him anyway, he looks like he's enjoying himself," she said, nodding her head at his engrossed state.

"Loki!" Jane called, his attention immediately turning towards her. "Can you help Darcy with the decorations? She's too short."

Darcy gulped, but she knew that Loki most definitely didn't know about mistletoe and it was just a silly tradition that could be ignored. They were strangers; he probably thought she was just the scum beneath his shoe.

"Of course," Loki said, rising. "Where do you need it?"

"Uh, by the threshold," Darcy said, pointing.

"And what needs to be put up?" He asked, looking around for a decoration, and Darcy embarrassingly opened up her palm to reveal a small cluster of mistletoe.

"This," she said, throwing it into his hands like it was fire.

He looked confused, but complied as he reached up and asked if she wanted it centered.

"I don't mean to be rude Miss Lewis, but what is the point if people can barely see it?"

Awkward, Darcy thought, a blush rising to her cheeks as she explained the tradition of mistletoe and slowly coming to the realization that both of them were standing under it. He looked perturbed at the explanation, and she tried to reassure him that it's meant for Jane and Thor, to which he grimaced.

"They look like animals whenever they kiss," Loki said, with an eye roll. "Thor never had much class when it comes to romance."

"And you do?" Darcy quipped, challenge rising in her eyes.

Loki turned his head upward and grinned devilishly. "Allow me to show you," he said, taking her around the waist and firmly kissing her.

One of his hands threaded themselves through her hair, and she squeaked a bit at being lifted off her feet. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and she sucked on his lower lip just a bit, eliciting a jolt of surprise from him. His tongue dove in, and she responded with equal fervor, raking an appreciative hand down his chest. She noted the muscles underneath his sweater; how his skinny appearance was quite deceptive and she realized she was running out of breath as they broke apart.

Her cheeks were crimson, and Loki's face could only be described as surprised—surprised that he enjoyed himself so much, and surprise that she apparently did too.

Arms still wrapped around each other, Jane walked by them with a startled yell and rapidly ran away as she tried to process what was happening.

"We're still under the mistletoe," Darcy said slyly, tightening her hold.

"Indeed we are," Loki replied as he captured her lips again.

**Happy Holidays to all, and Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it! Special thanks to ladyofrosefire for the original prompt and to Britt for hosting this exchange!**


End file.
